“Tung, tung, tung sahur,” my five-year-old cousin kept repeating over and over.
Brain rot. What is this newly coined term? Five-second videos, funny memes, and infinite scrolling, for Gen Alpha, this is their childhood. Rather than running outside or riding bicycles around the neighbourhood, the new generation of kids seems to be stuck inside the house, glued to a screen.
Brain rot is not a clinical term but is used to describe online material that is of low quality. It usually consists of certain trending phrases or memes that are used by kids in everyday language. A few examples are ‘skibidi’, ‘sigma’ and ‘mewing’, among many more. These words and phrases are usually hard to explain to someone who is not online to witness the jokes made with them.
Although it is not a real medical condition and is often used half-jokingly, excessive screen time has extremely negative consequences, especially on kids, whose brains and thought processes are still developing.
Doom scrolling or unmoderated hours of gaming or video watching can lead to emotional desensitisation, cognitive overload and a negative self-concept as reported by Krok 2025 in his study.
These results are closely associated with anxiety, depression and distress, Krok continued.
He added that these factors stunt mental development, such as memory, planning, and decision-making.
Additionally, there is a dependence on dopamine, shortened attention spans, difficulty focusing and challenges with problem solving and critical thinking.
However, not all hope is lost. Awareness is key to stopping the brain rot from infiltrating the minds of all the kids.
To parents or guardians of children, it is vital to monitor their digital consumption. Limiting screen time and encouraging them to do activities that inspire creativity and critical thinking skills will greatly benefit them.
Brain rot in this age is not inevitable, but it seems to be defining this generation. If they are growing up online, how can we help them grow up whole?
Rayna Leong (leongrayna@gmail.com) is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav. Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!
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